View source for Preparing your master's thesis using LaTeX

=Preparing Your Master's Thesis Using LaTeX=

This page describes the process for preparing a master's thesis using LaTeX.
Note that, unlike Ph.D. dissertations, master's theses must be submitted on
paper.  In the Math Department, the recommended way of preparing this
manuscript is with LaTeX, using the '''ucbthesis''' document class.

Take careful note of the following:
* You should not use the '''ucthesis''' document class included in most TeX distributions.  It does not comply with the current requirements, and is being replaced by '''ucbthesis'''.
* Refer to this page only if you are writing a master's thesis.  For a doctoral dissertation, go to the page [[Preparing your Ph.D. dissertation using LaTeX]].

Graduate Division policies are available at http://grad.berkeley.edu/academic-progress/thesis/ .

In case the wiki is down, this page is also available at /~vojta/tex/ucbthesis-masters.html .

=Preparing the LaTeX File=

To prepare the LaTeX file, copy the files from the sample thesis located at
/~vojta/thesis/ ,
and adapt them to your situation.  You should also use the '''masters'''
class option by changing the first line of the file '''thesis.tex''' to read
 \documentclass[masters]{ucbthesis}

The document class '''ucbthesis''' is already installed on our computer
network.

If you have already started your thesis using the '''ucthesisnew'''
document class, you only need to change the '''\documentclass''' line to use '''ucbthesis''' instead, and be sure
to use the '''masters''' option.  The Graduate Division will not accept
a master's thesis that refers to itself as a "dissertation".

If you have been using the old '''ucthesis''' document class, then you should
update your thesis to use '''ucbthesis''' instead, as follows:
* Use '''\documentclass[masters]{ucbthesis}''' instead of '''\documentclass{ucthesis}'''
* The '''\prevdegrees''' macro will be ignored

=Downloading the Macros to Your Computer=

The '''ucbthesis''' package consists of the file '''ucbthesis.cls'''.
This file
is available on the web at the address /~vojta/ucbthesis/ .

To install it as a document class on your home computer, download it
and either put it in the same directory as your thesis files,
or follow the instructions for your TeX installation on installing new
LaTeX document classes.

=Steps for Final Submission=

To create the final version of your thesis, do the following:
* Make sure that you are not using the '''twoside''' option (page numbers are not allowed in the upper left-hand corner of a page).
* For actual submission, see the instructions provided by the Graduate Division:  go to the web page http://grad.berkeley.edu/policies and follow the link "Thesis Filing Guide".

You will also need to file the Dissertation Release Form; that form is
not covered by this web page.

If you have any LaTeX-related questions about this process, email Paul Vojta at
[mailto:vojta@math.berkeley.edu vojta@math.berkeley.edu].